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There are some places that leave you with memories but Kerala leaves you with a feeling. It is hard to describe in just one word. Maybe it is the smell of cardamom carried by the breeze from the hill or a sight of a houseboat gliding silently across still waters at sunset. Tucked away in India’s South Western corner, Kerala feels like a world of its own. There is no hurry here. Coconut palms sway lazily, fishermen sing as they cast their nets and monsoon clouds paint everything in a deeper shade of green. If you want a holiday that slowly wraps you in nature, culture and warmth, Kerala is exactly where you need to be. Let’s explore the best things to do in Kerala, experiences that will make your holiday unforgettable. This blog by Memorable India will take you on a slow, shimmery and soulful journey of Kerala virtually. Continue reading:
If you have seen even one postcard of Kerala, you have probably seen its backwaters. They are serene canals and lagoons fringed with coconut trees, lined with tiny villages and dotted with graceful houseboats. Spending a night on one of these Kettuvalams is like stepping out of time. You wake up to the gentle sound of water lapping against the boat. Mist rises over the canal as fishermen paddle by in narrow canoes. The boat glided slowly, almost silently, passed green rice paddies and children waving from the banks. It is peaceful in a way that modern life really is. The food on board is another delight. It is made with freshly caught fish, curry leaves, coconut and local spices. If you want your boatman will stop at a toddy shop where you can sip the region’s famous palm wine. By evening, the sky turns gold and pink and the only thing you can hear is the rustle of palms and your own heartbeat slowing down. This Kerala backwaters tour is a soul soothing experience that makes it a must visit destination.
Highlights:
Houseboats Available In: Thiruvananthapuram, Alleppey (Alappuzha), Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kollam, Kottayam, and Kasaragod
When the coastal heat gets heavy, Munnar calls you up to the cloud. Nestled in the Western Ghats, this hill station is a dreamscape of emerald tea plantations, cool mountain air and winding roads that reveal new views at every bend. Walk through the tea gardens early in the morning when the mist clings to the slopes. The silence is broken only by birds and the soft chatter of tea pickers. Visit the Tea Museum to learn how a tender green leaf becomes a strong brew in your cup. Drive up to Top Station and watch the sun dip below a sea of mountains. If you are lucky, you might spot the rare Nilgiri Tahr and other wildlife at Eravikulam National Park. Evenings in Munnar are made for woolly sweaters, hot cardamom chai and watching the sky filled with stars. It feels like a different world that is calmer, cleaner and slower. The Munnar tour will quietly steal your heart and leave you spellbound.
Highlights:
Top Places To Visit: Mattupetty Dam, Kundale Lake, Eravikulam National Park, Attukad Waterfalls, Pothamedu Viewpoint, Top Station, Echo Point, and Munnar Tea Museum.
Kerala’s 580 km coastline gives you plenty of choices from buzzing beaches to hidden streches of golden sand. If you want drama, head to Varkala. It is the place where cliffs drop straight into the Arabian Sea, cafes cling to the edge, music drifts to the breeze and every evening people gather on the cliff to witness the sun melting into the horizon. Kovalam is livelier with its iconic lighthouse, water sports and beach shacks serving grilled fish and chilled coconut water. This is perfect for both couples and families. For something quieter, Marari beach feels like a secret. Its endless soft sand, gentle waves and fishermen pulling their nets at the shore give you a slow and relaxed feel away from the hustle. Each beach has its own rhythm but all of them invite you to slow down and do nothing other than to lie under the palms, listen to the ocean and forget what day it is.
Highlights:
Water Activities To Enjoy: Surfing, Parasailing, Kayaking, Jet Skiing, Speed Boating, Catamaran Sailing and Windsurfing
Kerala’s food is reason enough to visit. This Malabar cuisine is a rich, layered and unforgettable dance of spices, coconut and local produce that feels both comforting and exotic. Start with the Kerala Sadhya. It is a grand vegetarian feast served on a banana leaf, especially during Onam. It is a colorful spread of Rice, Sambar, Avial, pickles, chips, and desserts called Payasam to end on a sweet note. Try Karimeen Pollichathu, pearl spot fish marinated in spices and wrapped in banana leaf or the delicate Appam with vegetable Stew for breakfast. Street corners offer steamy Pattu and Kadala Curry, soft rice cylinders paired with earthy black chickpeas. And wherever you are do not skip the tea stalls’ masala chai, rich with cardamon and ginger. If you love food, sign up for a cooking class at a homestay. Here you will learn to roast spices, stir coconut milk in shimiery curry and enjoy making Kerala dishes.
Highlights:
Hotels For The Best Taste: Shala Restaurant, Rahmathullah Hotel, Kethal’s Chicken, Rapsy Restaurant, Grand Pavilion, Menorah, Hotel Annapoorna, etc.
Kerala’s culture runs deep and its performing arts are the windows into its soul. The most iconic is Kathakali. It is a classical dance drama where performers in painted masks and lavish costumes enact epic tales from Hindu mythology. Their movements are precise and powerful, their eyes telling as much as their gestures. Mohiniyattam, performed solo by women in flowing white and gold, is softer graceful like a slow river. In Northern Kerala, you will find Theyyam, an ancient ritual where dancers become gods wearing towering headdresses and roaring through flames and drums. This is one of the best Things to do in Kerala for family to watch these performances and feel them. The drum vibrates in your chest, the colour whirls before your eyes and for a few moments, you are part of something ancient and sacred.
Highlights:
Famous Art and Craft Forms: Theyyam, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Ottamthullal, Sarpam Thullal, Handicrafts with Bamboo, Coconut Shells and Palm Leaves, Kerala Murals and more.
Fort Kochi feels like history wrapped in sea breeze. Once the hub of the spice trade, its lanes still echo with Portuguese churches, Dutch homes and British colonial buildings. Walk slowly and let the sanctuaries reveal themselves. Down by the water, the massive Chinese fishing net sways like a giant spider silhouette against the sunset. Nearby you will find St. Francis Church, where Vasco da Gama was buried. Around Princess Street, colonial bungalows now house art galleries, boutique shops and cosy cafes where travellers linger over books and cold coffee. Every corner in Kochi tells a story and somehow amidst all the history Fort Kochi still feels alive humming with art conversations and salty ocean air.
Highlights:
Some Historic and Cultural Sites: St. Francis Church, Jewish Synagogue & Jew Town, Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Aspinwall House & Dutch Palace.
If the backwaters are Kerala’s heart, its forests are its lungs. They are vast, green and alive with various wildlife animals that make it a perfect place to visit for wildlife lovers. Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkady is famous for its Elephants. A boat ride on Periyar Lake takes you silently past herds drinking on the shore and flocks of birds skimming the water. In Wayanad, forested hills hide waterfalls, caves with ancient rock art and trekking trails that open to sweeping views. And in the Eravikulam National Park, you will spot the endangered Nilgiri Tahr and unique Neelakurinji flowers that bloom once in 12 years. While the Silent Valley National Park will take you on a walk through primeval rainforest lion tailed macaque swing overhead and the air smells like moss and wild ginger. There is something humbling about standing still in these forests knowing they have been here long before you and will remain long after. Bring binoculars, go early morning and let the forest reveal itself on its own time.
Highlights:
Sanctuaries and Parks To Visit: Periyar Tiger Reserve, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Silent Valley National Park, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
Kerala is known as the cradle of Ayurveda and there is no better place to experience this ancient system of healing. Ayurveda massage in Kerala is a spa holiday that offers an immersive experience that is designed to balance your body and mind. A typical day might start with warm oil massages, followed by herbal steam baths, yoga sessions and simple vegetarian meals tailored to your body type. If you are not ready for a full detox even a two day rejuvenation therapy works wonders. It melts away tension you did not know you were carrying. The beauty of Ayurveda is its slowness, the belief that healing takes time and that relaxation is not a luxury but a necessity. Kerala teaches you how to listen to your body again.
Highlights:
Top Ayurvedic Centers: Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala, Keraleeya Ayurveda Samajam, Rasayana Ayurveda Centre, Amala Ayurveda Centre, Dhathri Ayurveda Hospital and Panchakarma Centre
Kerala is also known as the “Spice Garden of India” due to its variety of spices such as pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla. Centuries ago, traders crossed oceans just to reach Kerala’s spices. Today you can stroll through the very hills where terrain, soil, and elevation, especially in the hill ranges help in growing various varieties of spices. Around Munnar and Thekkady spice gardens become a popular spot for tourists. These gardens offer guided walks where you can see how vanilla creepers climb trees, how cardamom pods hide at the base of the plant and how pepper vines wrap around tall supports. The air smells like a kitchen in full swing with sweet, sharp, earthy, all at once. It is a wonderful way to connect to the land. And when you carry home little packets of freshly dried spices, you carry Kerala’s essence in your luggage. Book your Kerala spice tour for a mesmerizing experience and gain insights into the history and cultivation of spices.
Highlights:
Some Spice Gardens: Abraham’s Spice Garden, Green Land Spice Garden, Periyar Spice & Ayurvedic Garden, and Shalimar Spice Garden, etc.
Kerala might be calm but it is never dull. For those who like a bit of thrill with their serenity, the state has plenty of adventures tucked between its calm corners. Kayak through narrow backwater canals where birds skim the surface and village life plays out on the banks. Trek up to the Chembra Peak in Wayanad to find a heart-shaped lake hidden in the clouds. Or tackle Messapulimala near Munnar, the state’s second highest peak where rolling grasslands open to breathtaking vistas. Cycling through quiet coastal roads or tea estates can be just rewarding. You go at your own pace, stopping for chai wherever you feel like it. Kerala reminds you that adventure does not have to be loud. It can be gentle, rhythmic, and deeply personal.
Adventure Activities: Bamboo Rafting, Trekking, Mountain Biking, Camping, Kayaking, Ziplining, Paragliding, Cave Exploration, Scuba Diving and Sea Diving, Nature Walking and Hiking, etc.
Kerala loves a good celebration and if you time your trip right, you will witness its joy in full bloom. Onam, the harvest festival (August-September), is when homes bloom with floral carpets called Pookalams, people feast on Sadya and snake boat races churn the backwaters into froth. In Thrissur Pooram (April-May), elephants in golden caparisons parade through the streets while drums thunder and fireworks split the sky. In the north, the Theyyam season (October-May) turns villages into open-air temples of dance and devotion. Even if you do not understand every ritual, you will feel the energy, the sheer happiness of people coming together to honor life itself. It is impossible not to get swept up in it.
Highlights:
Festivals To Witness: Onam, Vishu, Thrissur Pooram, Theyyam, Snake Boat Races, Attukal Pongala, Makaravilakku, Kerala Boat Festivals, etc.
Hotels are fine but to really understand Kerala stay in a homestay. It is like being adopted by a local family. You share their meals, join their morning routines and learn the small things guidebooks never mention. You might wake to the sound of temple bells and watch your hosts weave coconut coir rope in the courtyard in Alleppey’s backwater villages. Visit Wayanad to explore how to roast coffee beans over a wood fire. Their children will shyly practice their English with you and grandmothers will insist you eat a second helping of payasam. It is these small moments that stay with you during this Kerala backwater tour. It is a reminder that travel is about people as much as places.
Highlights:
Explore Kerala Homestays: Grace Inn Munnar Homestay, Mountain View Homestay in Thekkady, Thoms Beach Homestay in Alleppey, Manah Homestay in Alleppey, and Mistletoe Homestay & Art Gallery Cafe
Kerala is not a place you check off a list. It is just the backwaters or the beaches or the tea gardens, though each of them is magical. It is about how all these pieces come together to create a mood, a rhythm, a gentleness that seeps into you. You arrive with plans and itineraries but slowly, they stop mattering. You start waking up with the sun, sipping chai by the water, smiling at strangers who smile back. That is what makes a holiday in Kerala unforgettable. Connect with us to book our Kerala tour packages!
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